How to Pronounce Tony Spilotro

Meaning and Context

Anthony "Tony" Spilotro, born May 19, 1934, was a notorious American mobster who operated as the Chicago Outfit's violent and influential emissary in Las Vegas throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. His reign, often termed the "Hole in the Wall Gang" era due to his crew's prolific burglary methods, was characterized by extortion, loan-sharking, and murder, effectively enforcing the Outfit's control over the city's lucrative casino skim operations. Spilotro's infamy was cemented in popular culture when his brutal persona and turbulent relationship with former friend and casino executive Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal directly inspired the character of Nicky Santoro, played by Joe Pesci, in Martin Scorsese's 1995 film Casino. His criminal career ended abruptly in 1986 when he and his brother Michael were found brutally beaten and buried in an Indiana cornfield, a hit ordered by his own Outfit superiors who feared his high-profile antics were drawing excessive law enforcement scrutiny to their clandestine activities.

Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings

The primary spelling of the name is Tony Spilotro, with "Tony" being the common diminutive for Anthony. The most frequent and significant error involves the misspelling of the surname. Common variants include Spilotra, Spilatro, or Spilotto, often arising from phonetic misinterpretation. Another occasional error is the misspelling of his first name as "Toney" or the full "Anthony" as "Antony." In formal or historical contexts, he is correctly referred to as Anthony Spilotro. When referencing his criminal crew, the correct term is the "Hole in the Wall Gang," a name often mistakenly rendered as "Hole-in-the-Wall-Gang" with excessive or inconsistent hyphenation.

Example Sentences

Law enforcement agencies intensified their surveillance on Tony Spilotro as his violent tactics in Las Vegas began to threaten the Chicago Outfit's discreet revenue streams.

The character of Nicky Santoro in Casino offers a fictionalized, yet visceral, portrayal of Spilotro's ruthless ambition and volatile temper.

Historians of organized crime often cite the murder of Tony Spilotro and his brother as a stark example of the Outfit's ruthless efficiency in eliminating liabilities.

Despite his notoriety, some argue that Tony Spilotro's legacy is more a product of Hollywood dramatization than of his actual standing within the mafia hierarchy.

The FBI's files on the Chicago Outfit's Vegas operations contain extensive documentation of Spilotro's activities throughout the 1970s.

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